Abstract

How might we understand the vicissitudes of human moods? (Figure 1) This inquiry is derived from the common observation that life is hard. Our lives are suffused with sadness and sorrow. The media provide a daily diet of conflict, danger, and decay. Professional psychologists seem focused mostly on mood disorders. However, the positive side of the mood cycle-joys as opposed to sorrows-is part of the common experience that occurs between birth and death. What do people say when they are asked to report on conspicuous sorrows and joys in their lives? How might we draw lessons from the results of such an inquiry? An analysis of what people say when asked about joys and sorrows supports the conclusion that it is normal for us to experience the entire range of human moods. However, joys and sorrows are not balanced: the extremes of joy are less intense and less prolonged than the extremes of sorrow. However, the main lesson of this analysis is that joy arises from grief and that grief emerges from joy. This cycle is the rule. Musical genres such as the Blues and music played during requiem masses exemplify the transformations of agony into ecstasy. Additionally, ecstasy is not a lasting condition. The music and poetry of life demonstrate the range and significance of the vicissitudes of human moods [1-13]. The drama of life is not static.

Figure 1:

Keywords:Human moods; Mood cycles; Narrative; Opponent process; Wellbeing